The present invention relates in general to a heddle adapted for use in mechanical looms, and more particularly, to leno heddles for use in combination with dupe heddles for producing a leno weave.
A loom is a machine used to weave together warp and weft threads to make fabric. There are known a number of mechanical looms which produce various woven patterns having different characteristics. One such loom is referred to as a leno loom for producing a leno weave. A leno weave is a weave in which two warp threads are twisted around the weft thread to provide a strong fabric. The twisted warp threads grip tightly about the weft thread which produces a durable fabric with almost no thread slippage or misplacement of threads, particularly suitable for use in carpet backing material. To produce a leno weave, the loom is threaded with the shuttle weft thread and the dupe warp threads. The dupe warp threads can be of similar or lesser weight and strength to the weft thread. The weft thread is woven into the shed, and for each weft shuttle, the warp threads are twisted interchangeably to produce a figure eight pattern.
Two of the many mechanical components of the leno loom for weaving the warp and weft threads are the leno heddle and the dupe heddle. By way of example, a typical leno loom includes a pair of leno heddles, which are interconnected at a medial location by the dupe heddle. The leno heddle includes a pair of elongated shanks coupled together forming a space therebetween for receiving a portion of the dupe heddle. The ends of the leno heddle include eyelets for coupling the heddle to an upper and lower heddle support bar. The heddle support bar is received within the eyelets for positioning the heddles within the leno loom during the weaving operation. The pair of shanks may be maintained in an assembly relationship by interfitting elements, such as disclosed in Kramer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,241.
The number of leno heddles used in a leno loom varies depending upon the width of the fabric being woven. It is not unusual to have hundreds of leno heddles attached to the heddle support bars within the leno loom. Like other machine parts, the heddles are subject to wear and breakage, especially at their eyelet ends. When such a heddle has broken, it has heretofore been necessary to stop the loom, and remove the broken heddle for replacement. This can be particularly difficult and time-consuming when the broken heddle is in the middle of other heddles, which may have to be removed from the heddle support bars before the broken heddle can be replaced. To overcome this problem, there is known from Thorpe, U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,389, a repair head which can be attached to the upper end of the heddle shank after removal of the broken eyelet end. The repair head, however, is typically bulky compared to the original heddle shank, and in general, can catch on the other adjacent heddles during operation of the loom.